Broward cuts some Express fares to boost ridership

A commuter walks to the 595 Express at the BB&T Center in Sunrise. (Joe Cavaretta, Sun Sentinel )

December 28, 2012|By Michael Turnbell, Sun Sentinel

While Broward commuters have embraced the express buses to Miami, service to downtown Fort Lauderdale has been a much tougher sell.

So Broward County Transit officials are cutting east-west express fares, starting January 7, to boost ridership. At the same time, two Miami-bound 95 Express routes from Miramar and Pembroke Pines are being expanded and a new service will start from Hollywood.

About 80 riders a day on average boarded the new 595 Express buses from Sunrise to Fort Lauderdale in October — well below the nearly 600 daily passengers who rode to Miami.

"We knew there would be challenges," said transit spokeswoman Phyllis Berry.

Officials say express buses to Miami attract more riders because it's a longer commute. Drivers also face tolls on Interstate 95 if they take the express lanes and may also pay for parking in downtown Miami.

Currently it costs $2.35 for a one-way trip on any of the express buses; monthly passes go for $85. The new fares on the 595 Express service will drop to $1.75, with monthly passes at $58. That matches what it costs to ride regular buses.

Officials are promoting the bus' free WiFi, charging stations and high-back seats. There's some evidence the latest push is working. In the first four months for the 595 Express service to Fort Lauderdale, ridership averaged 46 passengers a day but then jumped to 80 a day in October.

On October 1, a new 595 Express route was launched from Sunrise's Westgate Square Shopping Center to the Miami's Civic Center near Jackson Memorial Hospital. The buses attracted an average of 121 riders a day during the first month.

Some commuters say they prefer to drive because they're stuck with a bus schedule if they're running late or worry about walking to a bus stop in the hot sun or a tropical downpour.

"I can go where I want, when I want, at whatever time I want," said Alexander House.

But officials say once commuters give the service a try, they stick with it. "They see what they can do with their time when they aren't driving," Berry said.

The new service that starts next month will build on the growing Miami-bound ridership.

The new 95 Express Hollywood route will begin at the Pembroke Commons Shopping Center parking lot at University Drive and Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines. The buses also will stop at Hollywood Hills Plaza, on Hollywood Boulevard and Park Road. The route will continue to both the Civic Center and downtown Miami. Rides will be free for the first week.

The 95 Express Pembroke Pines route will run every 30 minutes at rush hour, with some trips every 15 minutes, between C.B. Smith Park, Miramar Transit Center and downtown Miami.

The 95 Express Miramar route will run every 15 minutes at rush hour between the Miramar Transit Center to the Civic Center in Miami.